Jason's Infrequent Ramblings

Mini Coopers don't have handbrakes

A few days ago my bus had come to a stop a few cars back doing up a hill. Rights were red. As I was staring out the window at the lane beside us I was watching a lady in a Mini Cooper. She was waiting in traffic tapping away on a phone and shuffling back and forward. If you drive a manual car, you can guess why. She was trying to hold the car still by balancing the clutch and accelerator, but doing a bad job of it. She'd realize the car had started to roll, and moved up a bit to try again. She was shuffling a few meters each time, and did this about 10 times.

When I got all those driving lessons, the guy taught me how do do this, how to hold a car still with clutch and accelerator. Also how to take off on a slope using a handbrake. Various car on slope related tasks. Depending on the situation, maybe one would apply the handbrake, maybe they would hold the car with the pedals. There are a few approaches to take to ensure that you don't roll back into another car.

Now, if you can hold your car on a slope fine with just the pedals, off you go. Many can, I'm sure many do. But if you find yourself rolling back and forth unable to keep the thing still, why not just put on the handbrake. Give your feet a rest. She was just making work for herself.

And for some reason sitting here watching her unable to do this simple task, stop your car on a hill just really bugged me.

Of course, it's possible Mini Coopers don't come with handbrakes and she was doing the best she could.

Subway, Loyalty Cards and Apps : Getting back on track

Today, after about 3 years, subway got me back on the loyalty track.
Here's how it went down.

Back in 2009 there was a subway not so far from work. I would go on a
rare occasion. One day, they suggested I take a subcard to earn
points. Why not sure. I did, and chucked it in the wallet. Even used
it a few times. Everyone does reward schemes these days. you are
either collecting points or stamps eventually to earn some free stuff.
you get some coffee or a sandwich while the company gets some valuable
marketing data, or perhaps it's a lure to get you coming back.
Whatever the reason, I'm sure it works seeing as everyone is at it.
This subcard seems to work ok, even gathered it's data online behind
an account so it wasn't just a stamp on some cardboard. I'm sure
someone somewhere loves all the data it gives them.

But there's a problem with this. While someone huge like Tescos can be
sure that the clubcard isn't going to leave my wallet, the smaller
chains aren't going to be so lucky. I rarely would complete the 10
stamp cards from the local Nine-One-One , despite many a visit. I just
kept leaving the card on my desk. The subcard eventually found its way
out of my wallet possibly to make room for something else. So from
subways perspective, I stopped going sometime in 2009.

Of couse, I still had the odd subway , but I never had the card. Each
time into the store, I'd see the poster, give myself a mental curse
for forgetting to put it back in. Why not, I might as well take the
points and eventually get that freebie). And every time the checkout
woman would be like:

do you have a card.
No.
Would you like one?
No , I mean I have one, just not with me.
Ok so, that'll be 6.99

Eventually subways brought out an app. It's been out a while, but I
finally got around to checking it out. It's very basic. And that's all
it needs to be. I logged in with my username and password from when I
registered in 2009 for the card. And boom, 3 years later, I still had
all my points. The app presents a 2d barcode, and some other basics
like finding stores and updating details.

Using it was hassle free, just like a card or stamp. When it was time
to pay, I had the app open and ready. I handed it to the girl, she
waved it past a reader (didn't even slow down) and back into my hand.
(weird, some stores have the reader pointing outwards, so the customer
just waves. I think that's how it's supposed to be) Quicker even than
placing a card on the table, finding the stamper and wacking it. And
there you go , subways are now back harvesting some data in a promise
for an eventual free lunch. No need to carry a card just in case as
I'm going to have my phone on me.

Loyalty schemes could do with a good shake up. If there is a benefit
to the business, trying to utilize a newer tech makes sense. I'm not
going to carry 5 different cardboard collector things. But I will have
an app. I also like what Zapa ( http://www.zapatag.ie ) are doing with
their NFC stuff , even easier than an app. I have their NFC sticker in
my wallet also. I've used it once or twice in insomnia cafes. I
wouldn't bother with the cardboard rewards that shop might offer, as
I'm rarely in there. (When I am looking for a break for tea in Dublin
city I like to go to Accents Cafe , lovely staff, quiet ,comfortable
chairs : https://www.facebook.com/accentslounge ) But with the tag I
know there's a better chance I'll make it to 10 for a free next cup.
Even if it takes a year! Or if I'm in a champion sports next week
looking for new runners, I already have their loyalty card in my
pocket without taking up dedicated space. Foursquare deals are cool,
but rare.

So apps make a difference.

Subway have made one that increases the chance that I might come back
as I know I can always collect my points now. I believe the starbucks
offering works quite well also, but I've never been a massive enough
starbucks person to get a card. Perhaps now I will if I can just
download an app! off to the app store. And to find excuses to visit
more places where I feel like waving my phone around gets me
something!

(download)

Click here to download:

Subway_Loyalty_Cards_and_Apps_.zip (236 KB)

My DIY iPad Stylus

I once bought a stylus for my iPad in HMV. It only cost 5 euro, but it was completey shite. Some rubber tipped thing, required insane amout of pressure to actually work. Most of the time there's no need for a stylus, but if you are trying to do any drawing or writing on the iPad with your fingers it gets old very quick. One of my favourite apps is Penultimate, and I think that it would benefit from having a decent stylus. I hoped there would be a better one out there than that cheap one.

I recently backed a kickstarter project for a touchscreen stylus, called the Cosmonaut ( The Cosmonaut ). The page also linked to a blog post on making a stylus from a white board marker , here http://www.therussiansusedapencil.com/post/1521469842/the-right-feel-for-an-i...

There are also many other examples around the web and videos showing various people attempts to craft their own.

The key part to making them is having some conductive foam. But who has conductive foam just lying around the place? Whats conductive foam for anyway? Well, turns out that it's used for storing electronics. Finally I realised that the box I used to store my college project was full of the stuff, to protect the ICs and development boards for the components I was using. I'm embarrsed to admit I didn't know that it was special foam, I thought it regular foam which was there for only for padding. The conductive foam is also meant to reduce static damage I believe.

So with some of this conductive foam just lying around, I took a shot at making my own. I know there is nothing new here, it's all been done before many times; but it's fun to just play around and do something for yourself. I wasn't going to buy anything special to do this. It was just a bit of fun on a saturday afternoon. I rooted around for suitable bodies, and tried various pens, tubes, whatever was metal and might hold onto some foam. I tried the cap of a space pen, an old laser pointer and some other metal bodied pends and pencils. I finally settled on a cheap paintbrush, removed the bristles and stuck foam on each end.

The nice thing is, this cost me 0 euro, and is miles better than the one from HMV.

(download)

Click here to download:

my-diy-ipad-stylus-fDiACcrhvxlvxAwBrrqD.zip (13.25 MB)

(download)

Click here to download:

iPadStylus-small.m4v (32.56 MB)

Oh Snap! I Broke My Leg

It's been an interesting December so far. On Wednesday, the 1st, I
tripped in the snow, messing up my ankle. I thought it was just a
sprain seeing as I was able to limp around, and because i always
assumed that breaking a bone would involve a loud snap and lots of
crying. I managed to limp away throughout the day, finishing off my
day in work. I wouldn't find out for a few days that I had broken
something.

That Wednesday was one of the really bad snow days. The traffic was so
bad, we had to leave the car in work and walk home. In hindsight, this
next bit is kinda crazy. Myself, Chris and Pat all live about 1.5 km
from work, so we trekked home in the snow. I hopped along in some
pain. I managed to steal a stick to help me keep my balance. All it
was doing was supporting a tree anyway. I even managed to swing my a
pharmacy to get some stuff for my leg.

The best bit of all, I can now actually say "You don't know how lucky
you are, when I was young, I had to walk home in the snow, uphill, on
a broken leg! So there."

Over the course of the next few days, I kept off my leg as much as
possible, alternating ice and heat on my ankle to reduce the swelling
and try heal the 'sprain'. However, mid weekend, I started to get
worried. Once the initial pain and swelling went down, my foot was
covered in bruises. And it was a little ... clicky. There wasn't too
much pain, But I could kinda feel something moving. I finally decided
that a second opinion was probably a good idea. So on Monday, thanks
to suggestions, I went out to the VHI swift care clinic in Dundrum.

I was impressed with the service there. After a short wait, a doctor
took a look at my ankle. Concerned, he sent me next door over for an
x-ray. A little while later, the doctor showed me the X-ray. My ankle
was broken. A nurse wrapped it up in a temporary cast thing, came me
some crutches and sent me on my way. I had orders to keep the foot
raised, and to return on Thursday to see a orthopedic consultant.

He took a look at the X-ray, but did not have the best news for me.
The fracture was something called a webber c fracture. These can often
require surgery to fix by inserting a plate and screws. The odd thing
about my break was that the bones hadn't moved a bit. Everything was
in the right place, just broken. There is a chance that it can heal
properly without surgery, provided the fracture heals without anything
moving about. The most worrying thing about the injury though, was
just how little pain I was feeling in a lot of the ankle. This might
well indicate to more than just bones. Time will tell.

I got a new cast, more permanent type this time and was sent off to
return in a week to see if there was any improvement.

That appointment is in a few days. I'm doing my best to move my ankle
around as little as possible, and keep weight off it. It's really hard
to never let your foot touch the ground.

Overlooked Gadgets : Keyboard and Mouse

Sure, we all love talking about our new stuff, phones, tablet computers, ridiculous priced headphones and whatnot, but lets not not forget the love for the other things that we might take for granted. I'm talking about the mouse and keyboard!

Good input devices can make life easier when you use a computer a lot. Some people are content with the regular cheap keyboard and mouse that came with their shiny new computer, or are happy with the laptop keys and trackpad, but for extended use, you cant beat some solid equipment under your hands.

I own a DAS Keyboard, which was a gift from work several years ago ( http://www.daskeyboard.com ) and it's just super awesome. I used to think a keyboard was just a keyboard until I got my hands on it. The feel and response from the keys is nothing short of amazing. Afterwards, almost all keyboards are just annoying quishy yokes. As a fun bonus, it's completely black and no keys are labeled. It's meant to improve typing and accuracy. Doesn't help my spelling though. It is also amazingly loud, which is the reason it lives at home, and not in my office. As much as I would like that, I'm pretty sure the clicking on this thing would drive people insane. For work, I bought myself a nice quieter Microsoft 6000 curved keyboard. It's the inspiration for this post actually. It's just shy of a year old, and the shift key is starting to get a little unreliable. The DAS on the other hand has been perfect for over 3 years now.

Back when I used to do AutoCAD work, someone introduced me to this : http://www.logitech.com/en-us/mice-pointers/trackballs/devices/189 , the logitech cordless optical trackman. It's nice, reduces wrist and shoulder movement. After using this for a while, you'd be surprised just how much time and effort is put into sliding mice around. This also requires less desk space than your regular mouse. When stuck with limited room on a tiny desk, having to lift and reposition a mouse gets annoying. With the trackball, you just swivel the ball with a small flick of a finger.
Crap for Gaming though.

(download)

Click here to download:

Overlooked_Gadgets_Keyboard_an.zip (189 KB)

When this baby hits 88mph you're gonna see some serious shit

I wasn't even 1 year old when Back To The Future hit the cinemas, buts
it's a movie (and its sequels) that i have watched countless times
since then, and have yet tire of it. The DVD box set was an instant
buy.

And now its back in cinemas. I'm really looking forward to seeing this
on the big screen with some popcorn and sweets.

I'm going to New York! Any advice?

In an odd change of tradition, I've actually decided to go abroad for
some holidays, instead of just taking a day or two here or there like
I used to. So I've decided to go visit New York City near the start of
September. Why, I'm not so sure. Why not really.

I've never been to America. Never traveled much. So it's all very
interesting. I'm not the best at planning activities, so once I
actually get there, there's no real plan in place. I suppose we'll
visit some famous buildings, eat hot dogs, whatever.

So for those who have been, any advice? Tips or tricks about NYC , or
just general traveling? I'm going to try travel light.

Flights are booked and I'm hopefully all sorted on the passport side
of things, I have a fairly new one, with the chip. And I filled out
that ESTA form to request access into the states. Free for now, but
apparently it'll start costing €10.50 from September onwards.

My Bank knows the dates I'm going, so as to avoid any false positive
fraud alerts on seeing credit/laser card activity from another
country.

Accommodation still isn't sorted. Hotels are crazy expensive, 4000+
for the 12 nights min. I've been looking at VRBO.com , it came well
recommended, but haven't secured anything yet. One crowd wanted me to
email my full credit card details to them. Didn't really like that. A
lot of the listings seem decent value, especially compared to the
hotels I found while googling. One annoying thing about the site is
that owners are a little lax at updating listing availability.
according to the site place is free, you fire off an email only to
find out its not.
I'd like something a little nicer than a hostel I think, and this
short term apartment letting seems like a cool idea.

So? Suggestions?
Update:
Only 2 days to go! Accommodation is sorted, travel insurance also.

Cool Skype Chat Feature : Edit Your Chat

Discovered a really cool little thing about skype chat last week.
While chatting, you can press "up" to recall your last chat message,
edit it, and update.

You can only edit the last message (even if someone has replied) , and
skype client puts a little edit symbol next to it to indicate to other
members of the chat that it was edited.

It's really neat for fixing little things like spelling.

Badly Done SMS Promotion

The image below is of some SMS messages I've been getting from Meadows And Byrne in the Dove Hill design centre back in tipp. They got my number when I was entering some raffle. Now, I don't mind the odd text about offers, but I do expect to be able to unsubscribe from them.

However , I get a text appearing to be from "MeadowsandB". Now, I dont have a number stored under that name; this is the identifier they are using when they send the SMS. It's not hard to set anything you want for an outgoing SMS message, and in some cases, it's quite a nice touch, like when google sms me a calendar reminder, the message appears from "Google" , same with o2 for bill alerts. But with these services, I have a website where I can control these messages

Not so here, with these new ones. They inform me to unsubscribe , text STOP. However the phone fails to send the message correctly, and I get a failure notice. Most likely because the custom name is preventing this. Not cool.
If I try a call , the number the phone dials is 63236972632 , which, when you look at a keypad == meadowsandb

.Net Stuff : StructureMap

Update: Code blocks look screwed up, sorry...

I'm always learning new things. When it comes to software development, I never seem to stop learning, and certainly wouldn't claim to be the greatest or anything. One of the recent things I have learnt is an intro to Inversion Of Control and Dependency Injection. I'm just scratching the surface of this thing, but the benefits are great so far.
Let me explain slightly...

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